Les Mis-Érables: The Fight To Be Earth’s Maple Capital

A sticky situation has arisen in Quebec as two communities have tapped themselves as the maple capital of the world. Plessisville, recognized as the Capitale mondiale de l’Érable (“World Maple Capital”), is a town located in the L’Érable (“Maple”) Regional County Municipality and claims to have used its maple moniker for more than 50 years, including registering it as an official mark in 1993. That worked sweetly until Mirabel, a suburb in the North Shore of Montréal, also obtained an official mark designating itself as the Capitale internationale de l’Érable (“International Maple Capital”) at the turn of 2026.

Both communities have serious claims to maple syrup production. Plessisville features one of the world’s three maple syrup reserves, accommodating up to 95,000 barrels of syrup, produces millions of pounds of maple syrup annually and claims its title reflects the community’s collective heritage.